About 100 species: tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, also temperate regions in S hemisphere; seven species (three endemic) in China.

The epiphytic shrub Podocarpus epiphyticus de Laubenfels & Silba (Phytologia 64: 290. 1988) was recently described from the Sumprabum region of N Myanmar, at 1800-2600 m, fairly close to the Chinese border. It should be searched for in comparable areas in NW Yunnan.Podocarpus rumphii Blume (P. philippinensis Foxworthy) has been recorded for China, from both Hainan (de Laubenfels, Kalikasan 7: 142. 1978; and in Fl. Malesiana) and Taiwan (in FRPS). The records from Taiwan have been referred to P. fasciculus de Laubenfels (Fl. Taiwan, ed. 2), while those from Hainan require confirmation. Podocarpus rumphii otherwise occurs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines; it has pollen cones borne in clusters of up to 8 and leaf blades linear-lanceolate, with an acute (adult leaves) or acuminate (juvenile leaves) apex.